Reduced Arrests:

Criminal marijuana possession charges are down nearly 80% since 2012. Marijuana cultivation charges are down 94 percent during this same time period; marijuana distribution charges have fallen by 98 percent. “The change in the composition of arrests demonstrates the extent to which legal distribution has replaced illicit distribution," concludes a report assessing Colorado’s arrest figures.

Decrease in serious crimes:

Incidences of violent crime in Denver, the epicenter for the state’s marijuana retail industry, fell more than 10 percent following the opening of marijuana business in 2014. Between January 1 and April 30, 2014, violent crime and property crime dropped 10.6 percent compared to that same span one year earlier. Homicides fell to less than half of last year’s levels, and motor vehicle theft decreased by over one-third.

No increase in youth use:

The percentage of high-schoolers who reported consuming marijuana within the past 30 days fell from 22 percent in 2011 to 20 percent in 2013. High school students' lifetime use of cannabis declined from 39 percent to 37 percent during the same two years. Overall, Colorado teens' use of marijuana has fallen steadily since the mid-1990s.

No increase in traffic fatalities:

An assessment of roadway fatalities in the first seven months of 2014 reported a decline in fatal traffic accidents compared to the first seven months of the prior year, and a decline from the state’s 13-year average.